Left behind
by kokihi
Summary: Kaylee is accidentally left behind when the planet is attacked by reavers. Jayne insists on going back for her, even if he has to go alone. (T for their mouths, and gore.) -Complete-
1. Reavers

You got tree guesses what I don't own, but you're only gunna need one.

* * *

"GO GO GO GO GO!" Mal yelled as he ran toward the open bay door of Serenity. The rest of the crew followed, Zoe occasionally turned to shoot at their pursuers. The reavers followed them like a wave of death, their screams and growls growing ever closer. The stench of the rotting flesh permiated the air.

Serenity's crew ran as fast as their legs would carry them until their feat hit the metal of Serenity's cargo hold. Simon dove for the control panel and slammed his fist down on it. The hydrolics wirred into life and the door slowly lifted from the ground. Jayne, Zoe and Mal picked off the reavers that managed to jump onto the door.  
"Take off, baby!" Zoey yelled into the radio. Wash's voice crackled over the intercom "Your wish is my command, darling." With that, there was a slight jerk as Serenity lifted off the ground. Fast, soft foosteps came running from above. Inara stood on the pathway that lead from the cargo hold to the living quarters.

"What in the world happened!? Is everyone alright?" She asked in a panic.

"Gorram reavers got the jump on us." Mal cursed.

"Reavers!?" Inara was taken off guard, and her usual composure slipped to reveal her shock and panic.

"What...what happened? Is everyone alright?" She asked.

"No one is fatally wounded, if that's what you're wondering, though I suspect we'll all be spending quite a bit of time in my infirmary." Simon said. Every one of them was wounded in one way or another. Zoey had a deep cut running from her right shoulder, down across her upper arm that, despite the hasty bandage, was still bleeding profusely. Mal was shot several times, but none were very bad. He was hit twice in the shoulder and had one shot glance his left side.

Of all of the crew, Jayne was the worst for ware. One of the reavers had managed to pull him from the rest of the group. He had been beaten over the head, bit, stabbed and shot before Mal had managed to pull him from the reaver's grasp when they ran. He had stumbled to his weights and collapsed on the bench as if he were planning on doing a few reps. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was ragged.

"Doctor, you may want to see to him." Zoe said, nodding toward Jayne. Simon nodded and went to Jayne.

"I want a head count." Mal said into his radio. "Everyone, down here now." His voice echoed on the intercom. Inara moved gracefully down the stairs, and was followed by the Shepard, and River. A few moments later Wash appeared in the cargo hold Simon's medical bag. "Thought you all might want this." He said, holding the bag up. "Is everyone ok?"

* * *

Kaylee curled up in a ball, hidden in a gutted turbine she had been looking at when the reavers struck. The blood curdling screams of people being torn limb from limb surrounded her. She suppressed a wimper and hugged her small pistol to her chest. Jayne had lent it to her, and insisted she take it with her if she went off on her own. This was a typically peaceful trade planet, far from reaver space but she had taken it and tucked it into her bag.

Every so often she heard a thump when something would bump up against the metal cylinder she was hiding in. If anything tried to look inside, she would see them before they saw her, but each thump still made her jump out of her skin. She could still hear the growls and snarls of the reavers over the screaming of their victims. She could hear one in particular, that must have taken down the machine shop owner at his stand. The shop owner was a portly man, but he had a kind glint in his eye. Kaylee was always reminded of Christmas when she went to his shop, not just because she got to get new parts for Serenity.

Now that jolly man was probably half dead, and would stay that way for a long while while the reavers tore at his flesh. She didn't want to picture it, but the image flashed before her anyway. Tears started to form in her eyes, and made streaks in the dust and grime on her face. She wondered when Mal and the others would be there to save her.

* * *

**Author's note:** Gotta love Firefly. It did NOT last long enough. This is meant to take place sometime between Firefly and Serenity. Will I continue the story? Probably. Please review and let me know what you think about what's happened so far, and what should happen next.


	2. left behind

"Stop." Mal said over the rest of the crew, who were discussing the events on the planet. "STOP!" He yelled. They all fell silent and looked at him.

"We're missing someone..." He said, looking around. "Where is Kaylee?"

Simon and Jayne's gazes both snapped to the captain.

"Kaylee 'aint...ugh...Kaylee aint here?" Jayne choked out. He groaned and sat up. "Well we gotta go back an get 'er!" Simon put a hand on Jayne's back to steady him when he reeled to the side. "Jayne, you've lost a lot of blood, you need to stay still." He cautioned in his doctor voice.

"I ain't layin down, we gotta go back get 'er outa there a'for them gorram reavers..." Mal cut him off.

"Who's to say they haven't already got her?" His face may as well have been stone. "We gotta be practice here. Kaylee ain't no warrior. She don't even know how to hold a gun proper. How long you think she could last on her own 'gainst that many reavers?"

"No, she ain't a warrior, and that's the point! We gotta go..." Jayne started, but he was interrupted again.

" I can't sacrifice the rest of my crew for if sand maybes. Now, we gotta operate on fact here. Now, we all love Kaylee, but if we did go back down there, how you expect we'll find her?" His voice was low and commanding.

Jayne blinked at him, dumbfounded. "So...what? We're just gunna leave her down there?"

Mal looked him in the eye and he knew his answer. Jayne cursed and pulled himself to his feet despite Simon's protests. He pulled himself up the stairs and disappeared around the corner.

Everyone stood in the cargo bay speechless, looking around at each other.

* * *

The screams had died down somewhat. Kaylee knew there were still reavers around, though. She could hear their footsteps. They were searching for survivors...like her. She was careful not to make a noise as one walked so close to her hiding place. She held her breath and closed her eyes. She tried not to focus on any one sense, but it was hard. The smell of rotting flesh was so strong she could barely stand it. She could hear flys buzzing around outside where she was sure bodies were strewn around. Men, women, children, the reavers would have killed and eaten all of them and not necessarily in that order.

Her legs were beginning to cramp, and she knew she'd need to leave her hiding place soon. She hoped the reavers would just leave, but she knew that was wishful thinking. Mal and the others still hadn't shown. She hoped they were alright, but in the back of her mind she knew that if they were, that meant they had left her there. She wasn't sure how long she had been hiding there. It had seemed like days, but she knew that couldn't be true. She just had to keep telling herself that someone would come find her, and she would be ok.

She hung on to that thought. In her mind she saw Simon shooting down the reavers outside, taking her hand and pulling her from her hiding spot. The breeze would blow and ruffle his perfectly styled hair. He'd lead her off to safety, bravely fighting off the reavers all the while holding her hand tightly in his so she'd know she was safe. He would lead her to Serenity just a ways off from where she was hiding where the rest of her friends waited for her. Then they'd take off land get out of the world for good. Simon would take her in his arms and...THUMP!

Something heavy fell against the turbine so hard it rolled slightly. Kaylee suppressed a gasp. She could hear a young man's voice from outside.

"No...no, please, don't...please NO!" He let out a scream. There was a loud crack of bone breaking, and she heard the splatter of blood. His screaming didn't stop. Kaylee clearly heard the reaver that had him digging into him. If he was using a knife or her hands, she didn't know. All she knew was she wished the poor man a swift death. Silent tears ran down her face as she rocked back and forth, praying for it to end.

* * *

Jayne stopped in the infirmary and dug around till he found bandages. After wrapping up his wounds, he went to his room. It was difficult to make it down the ladder, but he did. He took a deep breath at the bottom and got to work collecting weapons. He grabbed Vera first, and slung her on his back. He decided on several big knives, a few grenades, two other large guns and three pistols. After filling a bag with clips and ammo he took another deep breath and started back up the ladder.

Up was harder, especially with the extra weight of his weapons. His shoulder wound was screaming with pain. It was probably infected, but he wasn't too concerned about that right now. Quickly and silently he made his way to the shuttles. Inaras was to the left, and the smaller empty one was to the right. He turned right and ducked into the empty shuttle. After checking the fuel levels he dropped some of his guns and bolted the door. He moved shakily to the front of the shuttle and sat down.

"I'm comin' Kaylee..." He said as he powered up the shuttle and undocked from Serenity's wing.

* * *

**Author's note: **Just so everyone is clear, I'm not planning on having this be a JayneXKaylee fic, so don't get your hopes up if you ship it.


	3. Sasha

**Possible trigger warning.** This chapter contains reference to threats of rape. If this will bother you, please skip to the third section.

* * *

The sound of the man's screaming had died down to a low moan, interrupted occasionally by a gurgling sound. Kaylee guessed he wasn't long for the world. The sound of Reavers throwing things around, tossing booths aside and rummaging around seemed like it would never stop. Kaylee tried to swallow the panic that was building up in her. Any minute now, they would find her, and she would have to fight or run and she wasn't particularly good at either. She looked at the pistol in her hands and let her thoughts drift to the day Jayne had given it to her.

* * *

She had been working on the engine. For some reason, Serenity wasn't putting out as much as she usually did, and it had slowed them down. If she didn't fix it soon, they would be late for their drop and Mal would probably yell at her.

A man had walked into the room. He didn't tell her his name at first, though she learned it later. He had threatened to hurt her, rape her, if she didn't tell him where River was. He was a big man, and she was a small girl. There wasn't anything she could have done. There was nobody that could help her. She had cried. He had tied her up and left her there in the engine room, all alone.

Their plan to get rid of him had gone well. Everyone had come out of the situation physically unharmed. Though she tried not to show it, Kaylee had been shaken by the encounter. She never went with Mal and Zoe when they would go out on a job if it was possible it would get dangerous. Mal made sure to keep her away from any situations like that.

Kaylee sat in the cargo hold on the stairs that lead to the rest of the ship watching Shepherd Book and Jayne lift weights. She was surprised how strong the preacher was. Once Jayne was done with his set, Book didn't remove any weight before he started his. It didn't look like he was using much effort either. She wondered if she were that strong, maybe it would have gone differently in the engine room. She could have picked up her wrench and hit the bounty hunter with it, or maybe she could have simply gotten away.

She had never been more afraid in her life. Sometimes at night, she would still have nightmares about that night. He would show up behind her, and she would be taken completely by surprise every time. Sometimes she would try to fight him off. Sometimes she would try to run. Every time he overpowered her, and nothing she had was strong enough to hurt him at all. She replayed these scenarios over and over in her head. Sometimes they ended how it had before, with her tied up on the floor of the engine room, dreading him coming back for her...sometimes other thing happened.

* * *

"Hey...girl..." A gruff voice snapped her back to reality. She realized she had closed her eyes tight, and opened them. Jayne stood in front of her, looking annoyed but there was something else in his eyes. "Oh...I...uh...Hi...Jayne." She struggeld to get her voice back.

"Yur sittin' over here groanin n' the like. Throwin off my concentration. S'wrong with you?" She looked around, confused. The preacher was gone, and the weights were all stowed away. On the far side of the cargo hold stood a mannequin with targets crudely painted on over vital areas. She realized her bottom hurt, and wondered how long she had been sitting on those stairs. She stood slowly. Her body ached like she had been sitting for hours. Jayne hefted his favorite gun, Vera, and rested it on his shoulder with a huff.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...that is to say I..." Kaylee tried to find a plausible excuse but her brain wasn't working with her.

"She's scared." A small voice echoed around the hold. Kaylee looked around to find the source of the voice. Up the stairs at the door stood River Tam. She was holding the door frame, almost hiding behind it. Her eyes were fixed squarely on Kaylee. "He tried hurt her, and now she's scared. Her home isn't her home anymore. Now it's just darkness." River smiled at the other's bewildered looks.

"That girl and her crazy talk..." Jayne mumbled. "Hey, why don't you speak clear for once?" He yelled to the whisp of a girl. River just laughed and danced lightly into view.

"He's here even though he's gone. What's over isn't over. Darkness." Her smile faded when she approached Kaylee. "You saw into the dark. You aren't alone, but there's nobody here. You can't do anything about it. Nothing can hurt you but everything, and you're stuck."

Jayne rolled his eyes. "Crazy girl don't make a lick a' sense."

Kaylee looked into River's eyes, shocked. "How did you..." She began. River laughed and ran back up the stairs.

They stayed silent for just a moment before Jayne scoffed. "Now, that make any sense to you?" He said , turning back to his target practice. Kaylee was only half listening to him.

"How did she know..." She whispered, half to herself.

"Wait...That made sense?" Jayne he looked at Kaylee.

"Well...I...I been a bit shaken up is all. What with that guy sneaking into Serenity...I just..." The words escaped her. She didn't like talking about him.

Jayne cleared his throat and dropped Vera, letting her hang around his shoulder on her strap. He took three long steps to a table where some of his many many guns were laying. He picked up a small, shiny silver pistol by the barrel.

"Here." He said gruffly. He moved back to the stair case and held the gun out to her. "It ain't much. Won't take anyone down without emptying every shot you got into um, but it's loud enough t' get everyone up quick if you get yurself into any trouble." He wasn't looking at her. Kaylee could tell this was a very rare moment for him. She gingerly took took it from him. It was lighter than she thought it would be. She wondered if it were even loaded.

"You're givin' me your..." She started.

"Lendin'. I ain't givin you nothin." Jayne barked.

"Lendin'." Kaylee repeated, admiring the shiny metal. "But I don't even know how to use it. Last time I tried an help with a fire fight, I didn't do much good." She looked back up at him.

Jayne sighed and rubbed his neck. "Well then, it's 'bout time you learned." He pointed at his dummy.

"Take a few shots at that thing."

Kaylee looked at Jayne, then back at the dummy.

"Why you bein' so nice all a sudden?" She smiled.

"Hey, you want it or not? Cuz I can take that thing right back." He warned.

"Ok! Shuttin' up." Kaylee's smile grew. She hand't known Jayne to be the type to go out of his way to help anyone. Stepping past him she positioned herself in front of the dummy where Jayne had been standing.

"Not even close." Jayne said. He gestured for her to move closer. "No way you're hittin anything from that far."

Kaylee smiled and took three big steps closer to the target. She lifted the gun and tried to aim. Jayne let out a smug laugh from behind her. "You weren't kiddin'. You really don't know anything." He picked up another small pistol from his table and walked up beside her. "You don't hold it like that, 'less yur fixin ta hit yurself in the head with it."

For the next few hours Kaylee learned as much as she could from Jayne, though most of the time he was showing off his wide assortment of guns, knives, explosives and other weapons, and his proficiency with each and every one. By the end, Kaylee could hit the dummy in the torso from a fair distance.

"I'm not so bad at this after all." Kaylee said after hitting the rim of the target Jayne had painted over the dummy's heart.

"Yur aimin' too long. Ain't nobody in the verse that'll stand around so's you can shoot 'im." Jayne said.

Kaylee turned around to look at him. He had perched himself on top of a stack of crates while he watched her, occasionally taking a shot or two at the dummy himself when kaylee would get too happy with herself.

She sighed. "Then whats all this for?"

"Feel better, don'cha?" Jayne smirked.

"Well yeah, but..."

"That's what it was for."

"But if it ever happens I have to use it, I still won't be able to do nothin." Kaylee said, deflated.

Jayne looked hard at her for a moment, then jumped down from his pearch.

"Listen, you. You ever get occasion to use that thing, Me n' Mal and Zoe will be there to help you." His voice was quiet, but had it's usual gruffness behind it.

Kaylee smiled. "You sayin' you're gunna protect me, Jayne?"

"That's how you wanna put it. But say anything 'bout this to anyone, and I'll let you die painful." He wagged a finger in her face in warning.

"You got it." She looked down at the pistol in her hands. "So, this one have a name?"

Jayne looked confused for a moment, but managed to work out what she was asking.

"Hell no. Weapon gotta be special t' get a name. That one ain't nothin' but a pea-shooter."

Kaylee smiled at the shiny piece in her hands. "I wanna call her Sasha."

"I don't give a good gorram what you call it, long as you give it back once you're done." Jayne scoffed.

"Hey, you two done playin down there? We're headin' out. Stow all that stuff." Kaylee and Jayne looked up to see Mal standing at the top of the stairs.

"Where we goin, Cap?" Kaylee asked. Jayne jumped and haistly moved away from Kaylee, busying himself gathering his things.

"There's a trade planet bout a day from here. Gunna pick up some food, supplies. Kaylee, if you're gunna need any parts for Serenity, I suggest you get a list together."

"Aye aye, cap'n." Kaylee saluted.

Mal nodded and walked away.

Jayne put the last of his things back in his bag and hefted it over his shoulder. "I wasn't kidding. A word to anyone else..." He whispered as he passed Kaylee "And you'll let me die painful." Kaylee finished.

"Damn Straight." Jayne mumbled and walked away.

* * *

Not two days later they had landed and set out to trade. Mal, Zoey, and Jayne had gone planet side to get the supplies they needed. Kaylee had been in the engine room when they left, taking notes on what parts they may need soon. She packed up her things into a small beaded bag and turned to go. Once she reached the door to the engine room she stopped, feeling like she had forgotten something. She turned back to face the room. She had her list, her money, her radio...the glint of shiny silver amidst the grease stained rusty metal of the engine. She slowly walked back to her tool box.

There the gun sat, partially wrapped in a clean-ish shop rag. She picked it up and considered it a moment. They weren't expecting any trouble, but then again, trouble seemed to pop up when they weren't expecting it. She smiled at it, and whispered "Sasha." Making up her mind, she made sure the safety was on, and put the small gun in her bag, then walked happily from the room. They had made enough on their last job that she would be able to get everything on her list, and she knew just where to find them.

* * *

**Author's note: **If you didn't figure it out, I was referencing "Objects in Space" when Jubal Early attacks Kaylee in the engine room. Though he didn't end up doing anything to her, that kind of situation can really effect a person, especially, I think, someone as innocent as Kaylee. I'm a big fan of the idea that Jayne cares about Kaylee in a bother/ sister kind of way, but doesn't really want anyone to know it so he can preserve his badass reputation. (Let's all just accept he has a soft side. Why else would he send money to his momma?) It's unfortunate that their relationship couldn't be expanded on because of how short the show was, but that just means I can interpret it how ever I please.

Anyway, thanks for reading! I'd love to know what you think of it, so if you've got a moment please leave a review. :)


	4. Bad idea

"This is a bad idea..." Jayne mumbled to himself as the shuttle descended back into the atmosphere. It shook violently, jostling the big man in his chair, disturbing his still fresh wounds. "Bad idea...bad idea...what the hell did I get myself into?" The thought of all the reavers down there scared him to death. Reavers. Nasty, violent, evil thing that killed for fun, and ate men alive. They were the one thing in the vers that he would gladly turn tail and run away from, but now he found himself flying alone to a planet infested with them.

"Ooh...I'm an i'dget..." He tried to calm his nerves enough to land the shuttle. The ground was approaching quickly, and if he didn't slow down he'd likely crash. His hands shook as he guided the shuttle to the ground. It was a rough landing, but the shuttle was fine.

He closed his eyes and pulled himself from his seat. The world spun slowly for a while, and he was sure he had a concussion. He blinked rapidly and took a deep breath to steady himself. After gathering his various weapons and slinging his bag of ammo over his shoulder, he went to the door and looked out the small window. It didn't look like any of the reavers had noticed him. They were probably too busy with their victims to pay much attention to his small shuttle.

He tried to make himself move to open the door, but his body was frozen. "Gorram it!" He cursed. "Gorram planet with these gorram reavers!" He grunted and pulled the door open. Almost immediately two reavers jumped into the shuttle. Jayne barely had time to raise his gun before they were on him. He pulled the trigger, and one fell to the ground. The other jumped him, knocking the gun out of his hand. He stumbled and fell back. The reaver let out a roar and jumped at him. Jayne hastily grabbed for the knife he had tucked in his waist band and held it pointed out above his chest. The reaver landed directly on the knife. Blood spurted from it's open mouth into Jayne's face. He stared wide eyed at it for a moment before pushing it aside.

"Bad idea..." He grumbled, grabbing the door handle to pull himself back to his feet.

* * *

"Where is Jayne?" Simon asked Zoe, who was sitting on the counter in his infirmary. He had just finished bandaging the cut she had received in the attack.

"Haven't seen him since he stormed off." She said, inspecting the doctor's work.

"Well, I need to examine him." He pulled off his gloves and sighed. "Of everyone I didn't think he'd be the one to..." He let his sentence trail off.

"There seems to be more to him than meets the eye." Zoe said. "I'll go find him for you, you take care of Mal." She gestured to the captain who was laying on the examination table.

Simon had gotten the bullets out. He was lucky that hadn't suffered any permanent damage, but he still needed to rest so he could heal. He hadn't wanted to, so Simon had doped him. He was beginning to come to, and Simon suspected he wouldn't be especially happy with him.

"Captain, how are you feeling?" He said. Zoe hopped off the counter and left to look for Jayne.

"Been better. I got shot, you know. Right here..." He gestured vaguely to his shoulder.

"Yes, I saw that. You were lucky to be hit where you were. It could have been much worse."

"Yeah, yeah...just...unhook me, would yuh?" He sat up and winced.

"You are not in any condition to be moving around, captain. If you insist on leaving the infirmary you should go straight to your room." Simon said, hastily removing the IV from the captain's arm before it was ripped out.

Before he could answer, Wash's voice came over the intercom. "Captain, you up? I need you to come take a look at this."

"Well, so much for laying down." Mal said. He hoisted himself off the table and made his way to the bridge.

Zoe was leaning against the wall behind her husband. Wash turned in his chair when he heard the door. "Ah, our fearless leader! So, would you like the good news or the bad news?" He asked lightly.

"Bad news. No, good news...just tell me." Mal walked over to the console.

"Well, the good news is no reavers followed us, so there's that...the bad news...uh..." Wash trailed off, but Zoe chimed in "A shuttle is missing."

"A what now?" Mal looked over his pilot to look at the dash.

"I'm thinking Jayne might have taken it. I can't find him on the ship. Checked his bunk, the kitchen..." She shook her head.

"Do you really think he'd do something that stupid?" Mal asked, but he knew the answer. There was no other explanation for why the shuttle would be gone.

* * *

Everything had quieted down some. The only sounds left were the ragged breaths and moans of those unlucky enough to still be alive. The reavers had left suddenly all at once. Kaylee stayed hidden in the turbine clutching her pistol for a little while, making sure they had left before she slowly and quietly peeked her head out.

There was blood everywhere. Pieces of bodies littered the ground, some were hanging from store fronts. She tried her best not to look as she slowly crawled out of her hiding place, pistol still held tight in her hands. Trying to stay close to the ground she moved slowly toward the entrance of the bazaar. Occasionally people laying on the ground, half disemboweled would reach out to her, or try to talk to her. She tried to ignore them, but with each one more and more tears fell down her face. "Oh...I'm sorry, I'm really sorry..." She mumbled as she stepped carefully over a woman who looked like half her face had been eaten.

The woman grabbed Kaylee's leg, stopping her.

"They're...coming...ba..." she managed, flicking her eyes to the other end of the row of shops. Kaylee gasped. She could hear them now, the growls and grunts of the savage reavers coming back to finish off the remaining survivors. Kaylee looked down at the woman for a moment, panicked. Her blue eyes closed and she managed a half smile. "Run." She choked out with her last breath.

Kaylee obliged. Going as fast as her legs would carry her, Kaylee ran off to the path down a dusty slope covered with long half-dead grass. It was a desert planet without much live foliage, or anything by the way of cover. Her bag was bouncing around getting tangled around her legs, so she tossed it aside.

She ran till her legs ached, and looked around for another possible hiding spot. There wasn't anything as good as her turbine had been, but there was a large rock formation that might work. She looked around and ducked behind it into a small gap between the rocks. Her small frame barely fit, but she got as far back as she could. Shortly after she got herself situated, the sound of heavy footsteps rushed past her. She held her breath until they had gone. They would come back around soon and find her, she knew it. Reavers never left survivors.

* * *

Jayne moved slowly and quietly around the shops, making sure to stay in cover. His vision was starting to blurr, and his shoulder throbbed constantly. He stumbled a little as he walked. The closer he came to the center of the bazaar, the more blood splattered the ground, and the more bodies littered the streets. He shook his head as fear started to grip him. Reavers. It didn't make sense. He enjoyed a tussle as much as the next guy, but this was just...wrong.

He ducked behind a building when he heard footsteps. peeking around the corner he saw three reavers moving slowly around the road, occasionally turning over tables, or kicking bodies to see if they were really dead. They were coming up on the machine shop Jayne was headed for. If Kaylee was anywhere, he was sure she'd be there. The reavers were moving closer and closer, not only to the shop but to Jayne, and more were appearing around the corner.

Ten reavers total showed up in the street. Checking in every nook and cranny a person might be able to fit in. They were getting much too close for comfort. Jayne took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then let it out. He cocked his gun, after one more deep breath he jumped out from his cover and started shooting. He took out three of the reavers before they even knew he was there. The rest scattered, but all of them started running toward him.

His clip ran out and he dropped the gun to the ground. In the same motion, he pulled Vera out to the ready. The weight of his very favorite gun was a slight comfort. He continued shooting, picking off the two closes reavers. Something wized past his head and stuck in a wood plank behind him with a thunk. looking around, he saw one of the reavers had taken up it's weapon. It was a sort of gun, but it shot what looked like small saw blades that were often dipped in some kind of poison or another.

Jayne ducked back behind his cover to reload. He went over his situation in his head. Five reavers left, plenty of ammo, but injured from the get go. Adreniline was flowing, but he knew once the fighting was over he'd feel his injuries again. He snuck a peek at his shoulder. It was his left, thankfully, but it didn't look good. A reaver had bitten him and managed to take a good chunk of flesh with it. There was blood was beginning to soak through the bandage. If he didn't get Kaylee and get back to the ship soon, he might not be able to get back himself.

"Ok...ok..." Jayne checked around the corner to see where the reaver with the gun was. Before he could get a solid idea, another projectile flew toward him. He managed to dodge it mostly, but it nicked his cheek. He cursed and jumped back out, firing in the general direction it had come from.

* * *

**Author's note: **By now you guys have figured out I don't really proof-read my stories before I post them. I just can't. If I do, I end up deleting half of them or not posting them at all. My stories are basically brain crack, and if you happen to enjoy my ideas and want a more refined version of the story or think something different should have happened, feel free to write your own version. Just send me a message with a link, because I want to read it!


	5. I'm comin'

The only sound that surrounded her was the wind in the grass. It would almost be peaceful if she didn't know what waited for her outside her hole in the rocks.

Her eyelids grew heavy. She had been hiding in that little hole in the rocks for some time. The footsteps of the reavers chasing her had came and gone, and she was still in one piece. She wondered for a moment if they had forgotten her, but she knew that couldn't be true. Reavers don't leave survivors. She yawned, the stress of the day catching up with her, but she was quickly brought back to her senses when she heard gunfire in the distance. She guessed that someone must have landed thinking to trade, but met with the reavers instead. She hoped they would be ok, but she knew in the back of her mind what would happen to them.

Several minutes had passed, and she was surprised the gunfire hadn't stopped. There were short lulls but it continued much longer than any unsuspecting traders would have been able to last. She wondered if Simon really had come for her. There was no way he would find her way out here behind her rock though. Panic shot through her. What had she done? She should have stayed in her turbine and had faith that he would come save her.

She peeked out from behind the rock formation to make sure the reavers had actually left. There were three sets of big boot prints left in the dirt heading away, then back toward the bazaar. She gathered her courage and pulled herself from the gap between the rocks. Once out in the open, she crouched down and looked around again. Not a sign of anyone around. She cocked her pistol and moved slowly back toward the bazaar.

* * *

He was starting to run low on ammo, at least for his larger guns. Jayne pressed his back against a building and searched blindly in his bag for another clip. When he didn't find one he let the gun drop to his side and pulled out a hand gun. There were only two reavers left, but they were closing in on him. He sniffed, wiped the sweat and blood from his face and leaned out from his cover to shoot. He managed to hit one in the chest. It kept running toward him for a few steps, then stumbled and fell. The other was faster, and made it to him. He ran backward into the gap between the shops and shot wildly at the thing that used to be a man. It had pealed it's lips back and pinned them to it's cheek, keeping it's teeth exposed in a permanent snarl. It jumped on him and took him to the ground. He clocked it as hard as he could with the butt of the pistol in his right hand, while trying to fend it off with his left arm. He continued beating on the thing till it went limp on top of him. When he was sure it was out, he relaxed for a moment, letting his arms fall out to the side.

He wondered to himself when cuttin' on yourself, and eating people alive got fun. Why someone would turn into something like that. He let the thought escape him, though. There were bigger things to worry about. He had to get to the machine shop before more reavers came to look for signs of Kaylee.

"aah..." He groaned when he pushed the thing off of him. His shoulder didn't hurt anymore. A fact he took no comfort in, because it meant his injury was getting worse. He looked down at the bite wound and grimmiced when he saw the skin around the bite had started to change color. It looked like a bad bruise, so dark it was almost black, but tinged with a putrid green. He sat up, but was immediately hit by a wave of dizziness. Something wasn't right. He lifted a hand to his cheek where the reaver's shot had grazed him. There was a sticky substance left on his face that wasn't blood. The world spun faster and faster, and he started to feel nauseous.

He scoffed and shook his head. Fighting back the nausea he got to his feet slowly. He checked around the corner to make sure the coast was clear and made his way toward the shop. There wasn't much left that hadn't been tossed around by the reavers. A few larger ship parts sat across the street from the actual shop, and he figured if Kaylee were smart as she seemed, she'd make for one of those. He checked around outside first, looking for any sign of her. There was one spot in particular that caught his attention. An empty turbine sat a good distance from the rest of the parts, and was the only one that looked like it hadn't been moved very far. He made his way around the pieces of bodies that lay strewn around and knelt by the front of the metal cylinder. Looking closely, several things caught his eye. First, a small glass bead that could only have fallen from her purse sat just inside. It was too small for him to fit, but Kaylee was a patite little girl, and wouldn't have had much trouble making it all the way to the back.

He decided she must have hid there for a while, but she wasn't there anymore. His eyes scanned the ground for evidence of where she had gone. There were large boot prints over every square inch of dirt, but three sets of tracks interested him. They lead away from the shops where all the people would be.

"Well isn't this an interesting development..." He mumbled to himself, and went as quickly as he could following the tracks.

* * *

"I'm gunna kill him." Mal said "That's just it. I'm gunna kill him."

"Mal, it may be best not to get so worked up about..." Simon started. He supported what Jayne had done, and was thankful that he had done it.

"No. He's a dead man. If he makes it back alive, I'm going to kill him." Mal said, turning to leave the bridge. "He stole my shuttle, and disobeyed my direct orders."

"I mean...technically you didn't order anyone not to go after..." Wash started, but the death glare Mal shot at the pilot shut him up.

"I said I wasn't fixin' to lose any more of my crew and I meant it." He said angrily. The rest of the crew exchanged glances as he left.

"So...you think he has a chance?" Wash asked once Mal was out of earshot.

"Not a one." Zoe said sadly. Jayne wasn't her favorite person aboard Serenity, but he could be useful. Besides herself and Mal he was the only trained fighter. Despite his gruff exterior, and his dirty mind he was a vital member of the crew.

"You know...I never thought I'd say this, but I hope Jayne's plan works." Simon said with a sigh. The hired gun always made him uncomfortable because he knew, given the right price he would sell the doctor and his sister out without a thought. The fact that he went after Kaylee had redeemed him in Simon's eyes, and he swore to himself that if he got Kaylee back safe, he would never have an unkind thought about the scruffy, crude, uneducated brute again...or at least for a long while.

The crew sat in silence, each alone with their own thoughts. Kaylee was dearly missed by all of them. She was the ray of sunshine in their otherwise bleak world. Mal had once said that nothing in the verse could stop Kaylee from being cheerful. It was possible he was right. For all the things they had done and seen, she always had a smile on her face once they were done.

* * *

**Author's note: **Yes, I know my chapters are short, but I'm posting them as I'm writing (you know, cuz of the no proof reading thing?) so no complaining! Ok, some complaining is alright, but not much! Please leave a review and let me know what you think.


	6. At least I found her

Kaylee could see the shops in the distance. It didn't look like much was happening up there. She was encouraged by the thought that the reavers may have left. She started to move faster, though she still tried to keep herself hidden in the grass as best as she could. She stopped when she heard foot steps approaching. Fast, loud and heavy, they were from someone big. She layed flat against the ground, thankful for the tall grass that surrounded her. It was the only cover she had. Shallow breathing and the clink of metal against metal, then silence for a moment. She thought she heard someone sniff the air and dread washed over her. Daring to peek pas the grass, she saw a huge frame clad in what looked like brown leather, but smelled like rotting meat. The figure turned so it was facing in her direction.

She suppressed a gasp. It's face, or what was left of it, was putrid. What ever marks it had cut into it's flesh were clearly infected, and had started to rot away. What had been it's cheeks were completely missing. It sniffed the air again and let out a quiet growl. It knew she was there. She shrunk back down into the grass and held her breath. It was only a matter of seconds before it would find her.

Just as she was beginning to lose hope, the reaver turned around and let out a roar. It reached for a gun that was strapped to it's back, and began to fire. She heard a familiar voice yelling a little ways away, though it wasn't the one she had expected. He sounded like he had been hit. Kaylee remembered the gun in her hand and jumped to her feet. She envisioned the reaver as the dummy in the cargo hold of Serenity and fired over and over. She knew she had hit it at least a few times, but it wasn't falling down.

She thought she heard someone yelling, but couldn't hear the words. She continued to fire until the reaver turned to aim at her.

Time seemed to stop. She lifted her pistol the way Jayne had showed her and took aim. It seemed like she had all the time in the world, but she knew she didn't. Holding her breath, she squeezed the trigger. She could almost see the bullet's trejectory as it flew from Sasha's barrel toward her attacker. Her aim was off, but close enough that the bullet caught the reaver in the head. It went down.

Time resumed and Kaylee began to shake uncontrollably. She lost her grip on her pistol which fell from her hand. She sank to her knees and put her hands over her ears.

He was still talking, trying to get through to her, but she couldn't hear the words. After what seemed like an eternaty she felt a rough hand grab her under her arm.

"Gorram it, Kaylee, we gotta GO!"

She snapped back to reality. At first glance she thought Jayne might be a reaver. He was covered in blood and smelled awful, but she recognized his voice, and followed his orders.

"I ain't gunna last much longer, girl, you gotta get your wits back." He huffed. It was only then that she noticed his condition. His breathing was slow and shallow, and his eyes seemed unable to focus on much of anything. A stake stuck out from his left bicep, the arm hung by his side.

"Jayne!" Kaylee managed through her panic.

"Can we have our warm reunion later? More'll be comin!" Jayne scolded her. "Pick up your gun and let's get the hell out of here."

Kaylee scrambled for the pistol that lay at her feet, then looked back at Jayne.

"Where's serenity?" She asked.

"In orbit. I got the shuttle...gotta go." Jayne gestured in the direction of the shuttle. Kaylee nodded, and started off.

* * *

_at least I found her._ Jayne kept thinking to himself. He tried to remember where he was, but it was hard. His thoughts were getting fuzzy, and he couldn't keep his sight in focus for very long. Kaylee was leading the way to the shuttle. It wasn't far now, and they hadn't run across any more reavers. Most of them were still on the opposite side of the bazaar where they had originally landed. Not many would have come out this far away from all the people.

His legs felt wobbly under him, and the weight of his guns had seemed to triple. He stumbled, and despite his best efforts, fell to the ground. Kaylee gasped and dove to his side.

"Jayne? Jayne, you ok?" She asked, frantic.

"Peachy." Jayne replied with a groan. He tried to push himself up, but fell back to the ground.

"Let me help..." Kaylee said. She didn't wait for him to protest. Grabbing his hand she pulled with all her weight. It didn't help much, but it was encouraging. Jayne managed to get his feet back under him. Kaylee ducked under his arm to help prop him up.

"It's not far now." She said, even though Jayne knew she couldn't know that. "We'll be back on Serenity soon, and Simon will have you good as new in no time."

Her voice was tiny and sweet. He scoffed.

"Not sure bout that."

They moved as fast as they could, and soon the shuttle came into view. Kaylee picked up her pace, forcing Jayne to do the same. It amazed him how such a small girl could manage to carry him that far. Though he would never admit it, he was proud of her.

She pulled him through the door of the shuttle after checking to make sure the small vessel was empty. He slumped against the wall to the floor. The pistol strapped on his back dug into his skin, but he ignored it. It felt good to be off his feet.

Kaylee jumped to the chair and started messing with nobbs and dials. The shuttle powered up and Kaylee let out a laugh.

"We're gunna be just fine, Jayne." She said. The small craft shook as they left the world's atmosphere. Jayne laughed to himself.

"Just fine, huh?" He scoffed. His eyelids were getting heavier. He closed his eyes and an odd calm washed over him. Nothing seemed important anymore. He felt a tingling sensation that started at his fingers and toes and spread through his whole body. He sighed as the whole world seemed to slip away.

* * *

**Author's note: **This is, by far, the longest fan fic I have written. I actually got multiple chapters out! I'm so proud of myself! What will happen to our cunning mercenary and sweet little mechanic? You'll have to wait to find out, cuz I have work tomorrow. Please leave a review and let me know what you think!


	7. The end

It had been a week since the incident. Kaylee sat in the engine room mindlessly fiddling with her tools. The rest of the crew had welcomed her back, apologized for leaving her and all that. They were all being extra nice to her, as if to make up for leaving her on that planet. After Simon had checked her over, she hadn't been allowed in the infirmary. Jayne had been in there since they got back. Once she docked the shuttle back on Serenity's wing, she had turned to say something to him and saw him laying there, slumped against the wall. She had been sure he was dead, but when she tried to pick him up he moaned.

When she opened the door half the crew had been there asking her if she was ok and what had happened. She couldn't talk at the time, and just pointed at Jayne on the floor. Zoe and Mal carried the man to the infirmary, and Kaylee followed.

That was the first time Kaylee had seen Jayne look so peaceful. She didn't like it one bit.

She looked up when she heard someone coming. Mal's head poked through the door to the engine room a moment later.

"Kaylee. Go on to the infirmary. Someone there wants to see you." He said. A small smile touched the corners of his lips.

"Is it...I'll be right there!" Kaylee said, slowly grasping exactly who Mal was talking about.

She jumped to her feet and dropped her tools back in her tool box, then ran from the room. When she got to the door of the infirmary, Simon was standing there.

"Kaylee..." He started. He stood up straight and gave her a sad smile. "I haven't had much time to talk to you, I was wondering if I might have a word?"

Kaylee looked between Simon and the door, but smiled at the man and nodded. "Sure."

"I just...well, I wanted to say I'm sorry. If I could have helped...If there was anything I could have done I promise you I would have." Simon stammered. He was so cute when he was tryin' to be all polite and proper.

"Simon." Kaylee smiled "It's ok. I know you'll do what you can, but you need to be here for River is all. I got plenty of people t' look after me an' yur all she's got."

"I just...I wish I could have..." Simon looked down and rubbed his neck, searching for the right words.

"Really. It's ok." Kaylee hugged the doctor. "Can I go in?" She asked when she let go, pointing at the door.

"Oh, yes, of course. Uh, he's a little doped up, but he should be awake." Simon said.

Kaylee gave him one last smile and left.

* * *

Simon watched Kaylee leave, then leaned back against the wall with a sigh. He really would have gone after her if he could. If he were honest with himself, he knew he would be much too weak to fight that many reavers at once. He hadn't even been on the planet when they attacked and he was scared for his life. He rubbed his temples. Why did it have to happen like that?

"What's wrong, doc?" He looked up to see Zoe standing in the hall.

"Oh...nothing, just...Kaylee..." Simon sighed.

"Mad you weren't the one to save her?" Zoe asked knowingly.

"Not really. I just wish someone else had..."

"Wish it weren't Jayne?" She smiled, amused.

"Yeah..." Simon looked around. "He's just so...and, and Kaylee, she's..." He couldn't get the words together. He was surprised when Zoe laughed.

"Trust me, Doc, Jayne ain't no threat to you and Kaylee." She said. Simon looked at her confused. "Don't get me wrong, they have some kind of relationship, those two, but it ain't romantic. Not even close." Zoe walked off, laughing, leaving Simon standing alone, baffled.

* * *

The lights were so bright compared to the rest of the ship. Kaylee guessed they needed to be, considering what went on in there.

The chair in the center of the room was empty, but off to the right lay Jayne, covered with a white blanket. There was an IV in one arm, while the other was in a sling. His shirt was off, but almost his entire torso was bandaged. A display above him showed his vitals. From what Kaylee could tell he was doing alright.

She slowly moved closer.

"Jayne?" She said softly "You up?"

after a moment his eyes opened and he looked around.

"Hey, girl." He mumbled. His voice was more gravely than usual, like he hadn't talked in a long time and his throat was dry.

"They wouldn't let me come see yuh till now. How you feelin?" Kaylee asked, sitting on Simon's swiveling chair.

"Peachy." Jayne grumbled. "You ok?"

Kaylee was a little surprised. "Yeah, I'm alright. Didn't get hurt none at all."

"That was...uh...some good shootin' down there." Jayne flicked his gaze her way, then back to the ceiling.

"Never coulda got out of there without your help." Kaylee said, scooting the chair a little closer.

"Nope...never woulda." Jayne started to laugh, but it turned into a cough.

Once he settled back down, Kaylee asked the question that had been on her mind since they got back.

"Jayne...why'd you save me?"

"Wucha mean why'd I save you?" Jayne looked at her confused. "Said I would, didn't I?"

"Yeah..." Kaylee said with a smile. "You did. Speaking of..." She reached into the side pocket of her jumper and pulled out the shiny pistol, Sasha.

"Here. This is yours." She had been carrying that little gun around everywhere, like a security blanket. After what had happened she felt better with it, but she knew she needed to return it. Jayne looked at it for a moment, then up at Kaylee.

"Ain't mine. That's yours." He said.

Kaylee was confused. "But you said..."

"Sine when anybody listen t' what I have to say?" Jayne scoffed. "Keep it. I'll never miss it. Never use it."

Kaylee looked at the gun in her hands. The silver shone so bright and clean she could see her reflection in it. A huge smile spread across her face.

"Jayne, I...don't know what ta..."

"Jus take care of it." Jayne said. "Mal'll show yuh how t' clean it."

"This is...I don't...thank you." Kaylee leaned forward and gave him a big hug, only letting go when he groaned uncomfortably. "Oh! Sorry!"

"Go on now, go play with your new toy, xiao mei mei." Jayne said closing his eyes again.

Kaylee smiled at the name. "Rest up, Jayne." She said, patting is arm. She stood and looked at him for a moment more, then left.

* * *

It was a month before Jayne was able to leave the infirmary and walk around on his own. Simon still insisted he come in for a check up every few weeks, but he skipped them. He felt almost back to normal. He had gained the feeling back in his left arm, and wasn't having headaches anymore. He walked into the kitchen looking for a snack, but found Mal instead.

"Hey, Cap'n." He said, trying to get past him to the cupboard, but Mal moved into his way.

"Jayne." He said in his angry voice.

"Awh, hell, wha'd I do this time?" Jayne rolled his eyes, and stood back.

"I never got a chance to talk to you about what you did back on that planet." Mal said. His face was stone.

"Now, look Cap, I just. " He stopped when Mal held up a hand.

"Thank you." He said. "Jayne, for saving Kaylee. We all feel better havin' her 'round." Mal stuck out his hand. Jayne looked at it for a moment before shaking it.

"Well now, ain't this somethin'." He smirked.

Mal smiled and nodded slightly. "That's for savin' Kaylee." Mal let a fist fly and caught Jayne square on the jaw.

"That was for stealing my shuttle."

* * *

**Author's note: **And it's done! Leave a review and let me know what you thought. And again, if you liked the idea, but thought you could do better, please, by all means take it and write your own version. Just send me a link cuz I want to read it!


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